The Shelby County Planning Commission approved Monday a zoning change that would bring a property on Dunnavant Valley Road into compliance.

The property, which is the residence of David Sharp as well as the location of his landscape design company, DSLD Management, is currently zoned as A-1, agricultural district. Sharp requested that the property be rezoned as A-1 SD, agricultural special district.

Sharp’s mother and father-in-law own the property, and the property has been used for residential and business purposes since around 1998. When zoning was initiated in 2005, the property was zoned as A-1 to accommodate the primary residence, said Senior Planner Sharman Brooks. DSLD Management became a “legal non-conforming accessory use” at that time.

There are short-term goals to open a small scale seasonal retail nursery on the property, Brooks said, which would be allowed under the special district.

The request to be zoned as a special district would not change the overall use of the property, Brooks said, but instead bring the property in compliance. Sharp would continue to operate the business as it has been operating and continue to live on the property, she said.

Planning commissioner Bob Land pointed out that being in compliance would be useful in the case of a structure catching fire and burning down or otherwise being destroyed. Without the special district zoning, those structures would not be allowed to be rebuilt, he said. Brooks added that it would also bring setbacks on the property into compliance.

The 3-acre property is long and narrow, which makes it nearly impossible to build structures that meet the front, back and side setback requirements specified in the A-1 district, Brooks said.

Representatives from Mt Laurel Farm, located across the street from DSLD Management, were present at the meeting. While they had no formal comments, they said they were in favor of the property being a special district.

Some residents of King’s Way in Dunnavant Place, which backs up to the DSLD Management property, voiced concerns about the special district.

Resident Greg Burrow asked if there would be more big trucks coming through the area, and Dave Cobb said he was concerned there would be more noise coming from the property. Sharp said that while he hopes the business will continue to grow and there would be more trucks coming through the area, he does not expect there to be a noticeable difference in activity on the property.

Resident Chuck Bush brought letters from four other King’s Way residents, who were not present but also had concerns about noise levels and changes in activity. One concern, Bush said, was the potential effect on property values if the business expanded.

The rezoning, Sharp said, was just requested as a way to bring his property into compliance, not an indication that the business would change significantly.

The planning commission unanimously voted to approve the zoning change.

Also at the meeting, the planning commission:

Approved a request to subdivide 1.46 acres into one residential lot and two common area lots in The Hamlets at Shoal Creek Phase II. The request also included a change to Troon, which would end in a culde-sac rather than connect to Carnoustie Drive under the proposed plat, which was why it came before the planning commission. The request was unanimously approved.

Approved a waiver for a property in unincorporated Shelby County, located off County road 47 on Lakewood Lane. The request was to waive the requirement that a local fire chief signs the final plat for a subdivision the property, as the property does not have primary fire coverage. The waiver was unanimously approved, but that approval did not approve the subdivision itself.